The Last of WBIG Greensboro, N.C. November 20, 1986 (0:20:53)

… What we have here is a failure to communicate …
[Description by Uncle Ricky] WRNC (1470 Khz) was purchased by Jefferson Standard Life Insurance in 1925. The call letters were changed to WBIG for We Believe In Greensboro, Where Business Is Good. After over sixty years of full-service broadcasting, the station left the air with no notice and little fanfare on November 20, 1986. The reason? Business wasn’t so good anymore, and they were no longer financially viable. Morning man Dusty Dunn hosts the last few minutes of the station, choking back tears to take calls from shocked listeners, some who had listened to the station for decades. In November 1999, Dusty and 1470 returned as WWBG. The new format lasted until January 1, 2002, and eventually changed to a Spanish format.

Welcome to the new ReelRadio!

This site is now operated by the North Carolina Broadcast History Museum. 

We want to thank the board of ReelRadio, Inc. for their stewardship since the passing of the founder Richard Irwin in 2018.  It has not been easy and they have maintained the exhibits for future generations to enjoy.

I met Richard Irwin, aka Uncle Ricky, when we were freshmen at East Carolina University.  We both had worked at local stations in our hometowns.  No one was more passionate about radio, especially Top 40 radio, than my friend Richard. 

Our goals with this site are to preserve the exhibits and make them available free of charge for people to enjoy.  Over time, we hope to add some airchecks to the site.  This will not happen immediately.  Time and resources will determine the future of new exhibits. 

Many thanks to the web folks at the Beasley Media Group for countless hours of work.  Again thanks to the board members of ReelRadio, Inc. for their faith in us. 

Richard Irwin’s hope was that his site would live on long after his passing. He said, “I hope REELRADIO will survive as my contribution to the ‘radio business’. The business is allowed to forget me, but the business should never forget the great era of radio that we celebrate here”.

We remember Richard and we thank him. If you enjoy this new site, we would appreciate a contribution. We hope you enjoy the new ReelRadio!

Board of NCBHP
North Carolina Broadcast History Project